Psalm 95:1-7a
We are the people of God's pasture
O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
For probably 3.000 year this song has been sung by believers in God. For the ancient Israelites this has been a hymn of praise from the time before the Babylonian exile. For Christians this Psalm was the invitatory for Morning Prayer everyday in the monastic life. It reminds us of who we are and whose we are. We are reminded that God is the rock of our salvation.
Monotheism came slowly to the Israelites but God’s primacy was always understood. He is the creator of all and deserves our worship. The relationship of the nomadic people of Israel knew the care that the shepherd had for their sheep. Sheep were their source of wealth, meaning and way of life. Rather than dumb wooly animals, sheep were precious in the life of the shepherd. It is good for this Texan to know that—we are so precious to the God who loves us. The only thing that I can offer is worship to that God.
3 comments:
This psalm has become increasingly meaningful to me. At chapel when we use Morning Prayer from the ELW, we usually sing this psalmody (pp. 299-300). It's wonderful. Have a great day.
Ivy, I love singing Morning, Evening Prayer and Compline. While in the convent we did. There is somehting about having these psalms resonating within me. Too bad we cannot make time to do this in community any longer.
Too true. A couple of weeks ago when my former father-in-law was dying, "Into your hands I commend my spirit..." from compline kept running through my mind. At least in community here at seminary we have the opportunity to do this. Blessings.
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